Wind energy will be able to provide 25 to 30 per cent of global power demand by 2050, according to a new report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

A total of 318,137 MW of wind energy capacity were installed worldwide end of 2013, while 45,000 MW were added in 2014, said GWEC, highlighting that the worldwide capacity was around 20,000 MW back in 2000.

Wind power plants are setting record highs mainly in Europe, followed by Asia and North America. China, however, could expand its wind power plants, meaning Asia would overtake Europe. In Germany alone, 24,867 wind turbines produced power free of emissions and environmentally friendly. In 2014, total capacity summed up to 38,115 MW, reported the German Wind Energy Association.

“In offshore wind farms that stand up to 50 kilometres away from the coast, the power generated by a wind turbine is normally collected on offshore transformer platforms and transported further with high voltage,” valve and pump manufacturer KSB explained in light of the upcoming Valve World Expo, taking place at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany from November 29 to December 1, 2016.

In a further step, the transformers make sure the power won offshore is fed into the power grid. Valves are needed here for the cooling circuits and fire-extinguishing systems.

“More and more wind farms are being built further away from land,” stated KSB, noting that this means more jack-up vessels are needed to build turbines and platforms. Again, valves are needed in jack-up vessels in cooling circuits, fire-extinguishing systems and for seawater intake.

Valves are also needed for the hydraulic control of the pitch drives used for setting the selective pitch of the rotors. A proportional seated directional valve makes this possible, explained Hawe Hydraulik. It maintains operating pressure and keeps the selected pitch of the rotor blade. As a rule, the pressure level is way under 400 bar. – TradeArabia News Service